Page 32 - Urban Kapital New MAY JUNE 2020 ISSUE

SAPPER SUPPORT CONTINUED...

The government enforced isolation Then, the veteran handling and thus, can ever comprehend.
has created some problems, though. the call can ask about the trigger(s) Answering my question, Tim simply
The organisation has seen a rise in that brought the caller to the service, stated that the “dual life” of a sol-
calls from paramedics who are deal- and ways in which progress can be dier is effectively the life of a sol-
ing with things such as body recov- made moving forward. dier – it is what a soldier signs up
eries from COVID-19. Tim went on and is trained for, although a small
to explain how future anniversaries With the biggest two military chari- percentage of people will be affected
of the coronavirus lockdown will be ties in the UK – Combat Stress and more than others.
triggering for many 999 personnel. Help the Heroes – having no 24/7
helpline, Sapper Support provides Although the British Army is one of
With PTSD having an incubation a key lifeline for veterans in need. the best in the world, no amount of
period of 5-10 years, mental health Tim explained how the fundamental protective gear can shield you from
amongst veterans and 999 person- plan is to create a network in which what you see, feel and experience as
nel can become a huge problem veterans can be accessed, and more a soldier. No amount of kit can miti-
when this time is reached. partnerships with veteran charities gate the traumas that surround war
can be formed, such as with Combat and leave such scars on one’s men-
The charity must therefore grow as Stress and Help the tal health.
much as possible so when this does Heroes.
happen, they will be prepared. Discussing the future of Sapper Sup-
Other military charities will be able port, Tim stated that in a perfect
Focusing the conversation further to direct soldiers in need to Sapper world he’d like there to be a date
on the 999 personnel that call in to Support so that they can receive the where the charity is no longer need-
use the services provided by Sap- initial help they require, and then be ed. As this will never be a reality,
per Support, Tim highlighted how redirected back to the charity they Tim and the rest of the team behind
the mental health of serving officers originally reached out to. Sapper Support must work hard to
became a priority post-Grenfell. The ensure they run a supreme crisis
Grenfell tragedy shone a beacon Questioning Tim on the common helpline in the UK.
onto the poor state of mental health problems that soldiers face and can
among firefighters, which, unfortu- lead to mental health issues, Tim By developing a fully-fledged service
nately, is still a heavily stigmatised was quick to describe five key prob- by ensuring creative partnerships
topic within their own organisations. lems: with some of the biggest charities
in the UK are formed, gaining more
Tim identified how some individuals 1. Marriage breakups; government funding, and providing
feel discussing their mental health 2. Triggers – these can be as sim- a non-stop service as first-call re-
could impact their careers by, for ex- ple as fireworks that are set off on sponders, veterans in need can get
ample, hindering promotions. Mem- Guy Fakes night, where memories of the help they need before it is too
bers of the serving 999 community explosions and gunfire are brought late.
are thus more willing to talk to Sap- back to life;
per Support than their own occupa- 3. Anniversaries of battles and Tim’s desire for the charity he found-
tional health departments. deaths; ed almost six years ago is to “provide
4. Alcoholism and drug abuse; a great service with a proven model
Asking Tim about the importance of 5. Isolation – the transition can be that works, wouldn’t take that much
using veterans as call handlers, the difficult from a life in the military to to spread and has a structured sys-
founder of the charity explained how life as a regular civilian. tem across the country”. The goal is
this element provides a bonding op- ensuring this system runs smoothly
portunity for the caller and handler. Diving deeper into the issue of iso- across 10 regions in the UK.
“Empathy trumps sympathy every lation, I asked Tim about a precon-
time”, Tim went on to say. Moreo- ception of mine: do all soldiers live Thanks to Tim Evers and the won-
ver, the mutual knowledge and un- a dual life and can this amplify poor derful body of veteran volunteers
derstanding of military lingo provide mental health and suicidal feelings? that keep the charity’s services run-
another platform for a connection to ning on a 24-hour basis, no solider
MAGAZINE // 32 to vent until a natural hiatus in their experiences of a solider are unlike lives of individuals that keep us safe MAGAZINE // 33
be made. The soldier in need is able It is not difficult to gather that the will be forgotten or left behind. The
outlet is reached.
anything the average member of the can be kept safe, too.
public has ever had to go through,